Culinary Team

Most recently, Chef Strong was Chef de Cuisine to what is now The Langham, Huntington Hotel & Spa's Dining Room in Pasadena, Calif. During his eight-year tenure, he was responsible for all facets of the restaurant, including menu design and development. Under his direction, The Dining Room became one of Los Angeles' top destination dining venues and a showcase for his love of pairing fine food with wine in ever-changing dishes, inventive tasting menus for winemaker dinners and delicious special events. He and the restaurant received many accolades, including Michelin One-star ratings in 2007and 2008; Gourmet Magazine '60 World's Best Hotel Dining Rooms,' Los Angeles Times 3 Star Rating, Food & Wine '50 Best Hotel Restaurants' and California Homes Magazine '#1 Hotel Restaurant.' Strong was named runner-up Chef of the Year by Angeleno Magazine; was a semi finalist in the 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards for Best Chef/Pacific.

From 1990 to 1994, Chef Strong held numerous culinary positions, including Saucier at La Caille in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah; the Capitol Club at Hyatt Regency, Washington, D.C.; Sous Chef at the fine dining Glitretind Restaurant at Stein Erikson Lodge in Deer Valley, Utah; First Assistant to Chef at the Adams Mark Hotel in Philadelphia, and then at The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia, where he honed classic techniques with Asian influences. In 1995, he moved to Atlanta to work at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, as Garde Manger with Chef Guenter Seeger and then as Saucier and Tournant with Chef Joel Antunes, whose classically trained French background added yet another international dimension to Strong's style.

Chef Strong then moved to Europe as Sous Chef for The Newport Room at the Hotel Arts in Barcelona, the fine dining restaurant in a property managed by Ritz-Carlton. Working in Spain added another facet to Chef Strong's cooking. The emphasis on olive oil, fresh seafood and the Mediterranean climate, similar to that of Southern California, led Chef Strong to embrace the bold flavors and rustic style of Spanish cuisine, adding the refinement of French techniques.

The concept and overall experience of Studio is dedicated to highlighting the best this idyllic location has to offer - pristine ingredients from local purveyors, unsurpassed views of the Pacific Ocean and an elegantly comfortable approach to the dining experience.

Studio has most recently been recognized with Three Stars from Los Angeles Times, Five Stars from Mobil Travel Guide, Robb Report as one of 'America's Finest Dining Restaurants,' and Food & Wine Magazine's 'Top 50 Hotel Restaurants'. Studio has also earned the 'Best of Award of Excellence' from Wine Spectator and is rated one of Zagat Survey's 'America's Top Restaurants'.

Leonard focuses on customizing each guest's experience. He takes every opportunity to meet with future brides and grooms and event planners to find ways to exceed their expectations. "I enjoy collaborating with our guests on creating the perfect menu for their perfect day," he says. "I like to create contemporary custom menus that reflect the freshest and highest quality ingredients of the season, as well as staying true to the vision of our guests."

With culinary and hospitality credentials dating back 18 years, Leonard began his career in Chicago where he was quickly acquainted with various positions throughout the kitchen. After attending the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts in Chicago, he has held posts at the Chicago Ritz Carlton; El San Juan Hotel and Casino in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Mark Miller's Coyote Café in Santa Fe, NM; The Royal Palms; and The Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, AZ. Prior to joining Montage Laguna Beach, Matthew was the Banquet Chef at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, AZ.

Leonard is an avid sailor, with his most recent accomplishment being the race from Newport Beach, CA to Ensenada, Baja California in April of 2007. In 2007, he was inducted into The Chaine des Rotisseurs, an international gastronomic society founded in Paris in 1950.

He currently resides in Dana Point, California.

"When I came to Montage, I was excited about the prospect of working with Executive Pastry Chef Richard Ruskell, such an incredibly talented pastry chef, but I wasn't sure I could do it. However, Richard gave me a chance, and because of his faith in me, I've never wanted to let him down." That faith culminated in 2005 when Ruskell asked Chien to be a member of his team at the National Pastry Championship, and her skill with sugar pulling earned the team first place in Sugar Artistry, which awakened her love of competing. "Winning was surreal for me," Chien remembers. She has since earned second place in the Food Network's Sugar Showdown and third place in the 2007 National Pastry Championship, and for now, Chien continues to develop her sugar artistry.

"At home, I have a library of pastry books, and when I bake, I have my two-year-old daughter Natalie helping me by tasting the dough!" Recently, while on maternity leave for the birth of her son Aydn, Chien was reminded about the beauty of being part of the Montage Pastry team. "I had left all of my recipe books in the pastry shop, and one day, someone noticed they were gone. I was heartsick, and then, a few days later, one of our chefs came to my home and, in her hands, were my recipes, beautifully typed and put into new books for me to use when I returned. That was a 'Wow!' I will never forget!"

Chef Overton joined Montage Laguna Beach as a Studio cook in 2005. Studio is the resorts signature fine dining restaurant highlighting modern French cuisine with California influences. Through his passion and dedication he was promoted to sous chef in 2007 where he worked under former Executive Chef James Boyce and most recently with Executive Chef Craig Strong. Prior to joining Montage, Chef Overton completed his apprenticeship at Aubergine in Newport Beach, Calif.

"I am passionate about providing guests dishes highlighting wonderful ingredients prepared simply. I focus on 3-4 ingredients in a dish and prepare them perfectly," says Overton.

"I was inspired to become a chef from an early age. My mother raised my brother and I on her own and worked long hours as a lawyer. I was always in the kitchen preparing meals for my family and loved creating dishes and seeing their reactions. My love for food led me to be passionate about sourcing wonderful ingredients and the best produce."

Chef Overton enjoys spending time with his wife and three young boys. He currently resides in Anaheim Hills, Calif.

Underhill oversees the unique wine program for the resort's three restaurants, including its signature restaurant, Studio, which houses an impressive 2,300 wine selections. To that end, he is instrumental in selecting Studio's approximately 50 wines by the glass. He also works in tandem with the Studio sommelier team to present wine pairings for each item on the Mediterranean-inspired, a la carte, private chef's table and tasting menus. "I am inspired by the creativity of the talented chefs I work with everyday," he says.

Underhill received his Associate in Arts degree from Florida State University.